TALLINN, March 7 (Xinhua) -- Estonia aims to increase its defense spending to 5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP), Prime Minister Kristen Michal said at a press conference on Friday.

The announcement followed a European Union (EU) leaders' meeting in Brussels on Thursday to amend budget rules, allowing member states greater flexibility in investing in defense capabilities. Support was also expressed for defense loans, Michal said.

He noted that the EU's decisions would enable Estonia to move toward this goal more rapidly. "Acting together, we can count on 800 billion euros to strengthen the EU's defense capabilities and to help Ukraine," he added.

Michal also highlighted Estonia's plans to enhance cooperation with Ukraine.

On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled an 800-billion-euro (844.6 billion U.S. dollars) plan aimed at significantly increasing defense spending across the bloc. She emphasized that in response to growing security threats across the EU, Europe had entered "an era of rearmament." Enditem

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